Ayalon Highway Reopens Early, Weekend Traffic Disruptions Canceled

By מערכת ice

Translated & summarized from Ice by baba

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Hebrew · 3 newsrooms covering

Ayalon Highway in central Israel reopened early on Friday, canceling all planned weekend traffic closures due to infrastructure work by the Israel Electric Corporation. The early completion of network upgrades near the Galilot interchange means that significant disruptions to road and rail traffic, initially expected to last through Sunday, have been averted. While some train line adjustments remain, alternative transport is provided, and full service is expected by Sunday morning. Meanwhile, emergency services are enhancing readiness for anticipated winter storms.

The story in 6 lines · by baba

Ayalon Highway reopened early Friday, canceling weekend traffic closures.
Israel Electric Corporation completed network upgrades ahead of schedule.
Planned weekend road closures were canceled due to early completion.
Disruptions to five Tel Aviv and Herzliya train lines are being managed with alternative transport.
Emergency services are increasing readiness for the first major winter storm.
The infrastructure work involved replacing power cables under major routes.

Ayalon Highway Reopens Early, Weekend Traffic Disruptions Canceled — Editorial illustration generated by baba News, not a photograph of the event.

Ayalon Highway (Route 20) and the adjacent railway lines in central Israel, which were scheduled for extensive infrastructure work by the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) and expected to cause severe traffic jams throughout the weekend, have reopened ahead of schedule. The IEC announced on Friday that due to intensified overnight work by its teams, the network upgrade near the Galilot interchange was completed earlier than anticipated. Consequently, all remaining planned road closures for the weekend have been canceled, and traffic is returning to normal.

The initial closure began Thursday night, November 5th, at 11:30 PM and was originally set to end Saturday at 4:00 PM. A second closure was planned for Saturday night, November 7th, from 11:00 PM until Sunday morning, November 8th, at 5:00 AM, but this is now unlikely to proceed.

In parallel, significant disruptions to five train lines in the Tel Aviv and Herzliya areas have also been altered. While some lines will split or terminate earlier in Tel Aviv, and others will have shortened routes, Israel Railways is operating free alternative shuttle services between affected stations. Full service is expected to resume by Sunday morning at 4:00 AM.

The infrastructure work, aimed at safely replacing power cables beneath major transportation routes, was conducted in coordination with the Israel Police, Ayalon Highways, and security agencies. This project is part of a larger effort to upgrade the electricity grid in the Sharon and Gush Dan regions.

Separately, Israel's emergency services, including the Fire and Rescue Services, Magen David Adom, and the Israel Police, are increasing operational readiness for the first significant winter weather event of the season. The Fire and Rescue Services have issued a public warning, based on meteorological forecasts, advising against travel to stream beds and flood-prone areas. Emergency response centers have been reinforced, and rescue teams are on standby.